Satisfaction studies have become fundamental for improving the relationship between guests and hotels. Thus, functional relationships interfering in guest satisfaction in the hotel sector were analyzed, based on three components: background consumption, consumption experience, and price practiced. Upon the theoretical model proposed, seven hypotheses were formulated. Then, a quantitative causal field research was developed, based on the experimental method, wherein price was manipulated (high and low). A total of 260 questionnaires have been collected, divided into two environments and three different hotels. In the first scenario, the guests paid a high price for their stay in the three hotels, due to the 50th Festa Nacional do Calçado (FENAC), a major national shoe fair. In the second scenario, data were collected in a period of low demand in the three hotels, with lower prices being practiced. After the implementation of the experiment, data were processed through the Structural Equation Modeling technique, and mediating and moderating effects were used for understanding the functional relationships studied. Based on the results obtained, the dimensions associated to consumption experience can be said to influence the relationship between consumption background and satisfaction. In addition, a moderating effect of the prices on the model’s relationship was observed, with differences being identified in the experiments among the relationships moderating physical and social experiences and satisfaction levels expressed by the guests.
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